Came to Redbird over the weekend as we were celebrating a birthday. First impressions walking in,…read morethe staff was super friendly and I really liked how the bar was both inside and outside. Highly recommend paying for valet, as street parking is tough to find on the weekends. As for the food let's get into it: - Kombucha-Cured Hamachi (8/10) It's hard to mess up on a crudo, but this was a great start to the meal. - Garganelli (8.5/10) Pasta was cooked perfectly, had a nice kick/spice to it. Could easily eat two bowls of this. - Steak and Frites (8.5/10) Steak was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was delicious. Slightly pricey but I get it. Overall, I'd say it was a great dining experience as the service is the real reason for the 5 stars. Place might be a little pricey, but worth try once at least. Would I go again? Yes!

Los Angeles RoadTrip Episode 5 Spinning like a girl in a…read morebrand new dress.. We have this big wide city all to ourselves.. We blocked the noise with the sound of "I need you".. And right there where we stood was holy ground.. Sitting, on holy ground (Frmr. Cathedral Bldg.), at the "Redbird".. We drank cold glasses of luscious Chardonnay... The Lass ate a "Grilled Branzino" perfectly cooked..but, somewhat sad, that the sauce the maitre d kindly poured on the Fish, softened the crisp skin. (in the old days, you would be flogged for that..:). All in all it was enjoyable. The Lad, ate a Wagyu Burger, that was superbly seasoned and cooked.."Rare-Med.-Rare" juicy deliciousness, This Burger was the most unctuous burger ever tackled in these Americas..:) Then dropping out of the sky on to our table (by friends) was a plate of "Caramelised Banana French Toast"...Yes, nicely sweet, just missing whip cream (it's 5'O'clock somewhere..:) A very pleasant relaxing restaurant with great grub too.. "Tonight, We are gonna dance like we are on Holy Ground..:) Best, Avram Blackbird Jr.

Amazing food, atmosphere, and service. The starters were all great and ingredients all complimented…read moreeach other perfectly. The pasta was cooked to perfection with the lobster being my favorite. The. Dessert. Their pavlova the most heavenly pavlova I've ever tried and it was the perfect way to end the meal.

Lapaba is one of those restaurants that looks far more impressive than it actually is. The interior…read moreis beautiful, the atmosphere is trendy, and it's clear they're aiming for a Michelin-style dining experience. Unfortunately, the food never lives up to that ambition. The service was attentive, but almost every interaction felt like an upsell. We were repeatedly encouraged to order the most expensive appetizer, pasta, entrée, and cocktails on the menu. I don't mind recommendations, but there was a noticeable difference between genuine hospitality and salesmanship, and this leaned heavily toward the latter. Most of the seating is at the bar, and the stools become uncomfortable over the course of a meal. There are only a couple of cozy booths, so unless you're lucky enough to get one, don't expect to settle in for a relaxed dinner. The biggest letdown was the food. We ordered four different dishes, expecting at least one to stand out, but none of them did. The Korean-Italian fusion concept is interesting on paper, yet the execution felt amateur. The flavors were forgettable, the portions were modest, and nothing justified the premium pricing. These were dishes I'd expect at a neighborhood restaurant, not at a place charging Michelin-level prices. I don't mind paying for exceptional food--I actually enjoy it. But high prices come with high expectations, and Lapaba simply didn't deliver. Nothing was objectively bad, but nothing was memorable either. It's the kind of restaurant you try once out of curiosity, check it off your list, and move on.

My son had been wanting to try this place for a while, but apparently they are booked for weeks in…read moreadvance. It's really out of the way for us, but we decided to make the drive out there for dinner on Tues. 7/21. Walked in at 5:30pm without a reservation, and the lovely hostess told us it would be about an hour wait for the bar. Didn't catch her name, but she was very sweet and pleasant. She told us we were welcome to order drinks and have them brought out to the outdoor waiting area, but we didn't get any. The restaurant had opened at 5pm and it was already packed. Soon after us, more people started arriving without reservations and were waiting outside along with us. Around 6:40pm is when the hostess came out to tell us our seats were ready. The place is cozy, beautiful and classy, while still maintaining a casual ambience. It's pretty noisy with the music and chatter all around. The bar is right in the center of the restaurant with a view of the open kitchen. I let my son order for us and he got a variety of options. To start, we got the Scallop Aguachile. It smelled just a bit fishy when we got the plate, but it tasted fine. It was just ok. There wasn't enough acidity in the dish and it was kind of boring. I love scallops, but I wouldn't order it again. Next up were the Fried Coconut Tiger Prawns and an order of their viral Garlic Bread. The prawns were nice and big, but we both thought the coconut taste got lost in the batter. The garlic bread was also decent...nothing to write home about. For our entrees, we got the Two Sheet Vongole and the Cheeseburger. The Vongole was definitely the standout of the whole meal. The pasta, sauce, clams, cheese, parsley, and breadcrumbs were all fantastic. Some lemon zest would've been great in addition the grilled lemon that comes with the dish. We both really enjoyed this dish and it's a good portion to share. The burger on the other hand was unfortunately disappointing. The bun was pretty dry and the "fondue" just disappeared into nothing. It was clearly there on the patty, but tasted like nothing. The whole thing just tasted like well-seasoned ground beef. There were maybe 5-6 strands of caramelized onions on it and the Dijon wasn't spread evenly. I've honestly had better fast food burgers. The dessert menu was not intriguing at all so we decided to pass. Oh, for our drinks, we stayed with our waters and shared a dirty martini, which was delicious. They have 3 individual/private gender-neutral bathroom stalls. Both the bathrooms and the restaurant were super clean. They offer valet parking for $10 or you can park on the street. It wasn't a bad experience, but it wasn't good enough to want to come back. I would have given this place 3 stars, but shout out to our server CHELSEA - she was absolutely OUTSTANDING! Such a great girl and hard worker. She was funny, attentive, personable, and genuine. HANDS DOWN the best part of our experience! She definitely bumped it up to 4 stars. Thank you for such great service!

We were excited to try Hermon's and ordered some of their most popular dishes including the loaded…read morepotato fritter, burger, two sheet vongole, and skillet cookie. We also ordered the chicken sandwich and snap pea vegetable dish. The potato fritter, snap peas, and two sheet vongole were our favorites from the night. The burger was overhyped in my opinion and the chicken sandwich was ok. Tip: At the time we made reservations they were opening up dates two weeks in advance at 10am. If you want to make a resy, make sure you check right at 10am for 14 days prior to the day you want to visit. Also the burger is a couple bucks cheaper during HH which ends at 6.

wow. truly one of the best dining experiences i've had. the service was amazing from start to end…read moreand the food was just as exceptional. despite everything being amazing, i have to highlight my favorite bites of this night. the tuna taku handroll was truly one of the best things i've ever eaten, i can't stop thinking about it. the crunch of the radish with the soft, fresh tuna was heaven. the concept of fresh nori gives both a nice interactive experience to the item, while keeping the seaweed nice and fresh for each bite. i genuinely would come back to eat a whole meal of only this. i'm also someone who would not even give a second of consideration to a single item costing more than $50 but the hikari don was truly so worth it and i have told all my friends they have to try it. i even mention multiple times that i can't wait to go back to get it. everything is just so incredibly fresh and of great quality. the miso clam chowder was a first for me and i didn't expect much from it but i thoroughly enjoyed having that clam chowder satisfaction while being so light at the same time. the flavor was so refreshing and balanced. what a unique combination. i need to go back asap. i will go back. i love this place so much, most possibly one of the best restaurants i've tried. mirrors quality i've had in japan, which is such a high point for me as everyone around me knows how much i loved japan especially for the food.

We had reservations, but our table wasn't quite ready, so we waited about five minutes before being…read moreseated. We ended up sitting outside, which was a bit hot and noisy. We ordered the crispy rice, Hikari Don, soba, and a few hand rolls. Everything was good, but our favorite was the banh mi hand roll.

O V E R A L L Great discovery and new eats to add to your…read morelist of restaurants to try. Small, cozy, intimate vibes~ I do have to say, this was my first restaurant after coming back from an Asia trip... so my standards and expectations are sky high still. This made most of these taste more underwhelming or something that tastes like I could have had it anywhere else. O R D E R Crispy Tuna Rice (5/5) -- Pretty good, def order this! Fatty Tuna Brioche (4/5) -- Such a missed opportunity in getting better quality toast or putting a bit more thought there... currently feels like an after thought. Tempura (5/5) -- Nice and crispy without excess batter! Ine noodle (+ sea bream) (3/5) -- Underwhelming and the sea bream was such a tiny piece. The bonus here is the quantity of noodles felt generous but I don't think this was worth the price point. Ine hand rolls - Hokkaido scallop - Hokkaido Uni - Sweet shrimp - Toro All the hand rolls were refreshing and I love how they served it. I don't think it's anything more special than other experiences I had... it is good but not one of a kind. The toro was not as fatty as I would have hoped. Servet ice cream - I forgot what we got but we tried two. Both were delicious! S E R V I C E They are so packed! Must make a rsvp to eat here. The chef or owner noticed that we were waiting for a while and offered us this complimentary fish that was actually the highlight of the meal. We appreciate the attention to detail and awareness in their own business. O T H E R Parking is assssss just find street parking and don't risk it at the plaza next door.

We got there at 5pm just when they opened and we were the first ones there. We didn't have a…read morereservation but they were able to seat us at the bar. So make a reservation to guarantee a seat. Service was excellent! Inside is nice, with tables and bar seating. Menu is not that big and it's not a traditional sushi spot with a variety of rolls. It's mostly hand rolls and some specialty items. The cucumber salad was really good and refreshing. I really liked the presentation of the hand rolls. It's a deconstructed presentation and you build the hand roll yourself. Taste was good but not exceptional. My favorite was the scallop and unagi. The issue we had was that they told us their specials but when we ordered it, they said they didn't have it. Why mention a special when you don't have it.

I'm glad we weren't the only ones wow'ed by the bread and butter. Honestly, an amazing first…read moreimpression, it reminded me of a scene in the season finale of Hacks I watched the night before, "Okay, you're right. I never have had real bread until now..." Every dish was sublime, the desserts were especially good, the servers were perfect, friendly and engaged without being hovery or overly familiar. The setting was simple, neutral, but classy and did a lot with what would have otherwise been, well, a basement. Honestly one of the best experiences we've had dining out, up there with Dante and Spago in Beverly Hills, for us!

I was excited to try this new restaurant given all the buzz surrounding it. With so much…read moreanticipation and glowing hype, my expectations were understandably high. Unfortunately, the experience fell short. The biggest challenge was the noise level. The restaurant was so loud that no one at our table could hear each other, and we struggled to hear the waitstaff as they described the dishes. Dining out is as much about sharing the experience with your company as it is about the food, and that was nearly impossible here. The meal began with hot towels, which is usually a thoughtful touch. However, the towels had a musty odor, almost as if they had been sitting in stagnant water. I've never encountered that before. It was off-putting enough that I ended up sharing my scented hand lotion with my friends afterward, and everyone was grateful. Not exactly the most appetizing way to start a meal. Another issue was the pacing of the meal. I am no stranger to fine dining and understand that courses are intentionally spaced out. However, the waits between courses here felt excessive. Instead of building anticipation, the lengthy gaps disrupted the flow of the meal and left our table waiting far too long for the next course to arrive. As for the food itself, I found it underwhelming. The first two courses were remarkably similar in both appearance and texture, which felt like an odd choice for a four-course tasting menu. I kept waiting for the meal to build in variety and excitement, but it never quite got there. The bright spot of the evening was the service. The staff was attentive, professional, and kept everything moving smoothly throughout the meal. That said, the experience felt somewhat transactional; while everyone was efficient, there wasn't much warmth or personality. I don't recall seeing a single smile all evening. Perhaps my expectations were elevated by all the excitement surrounding the restaurant, but I left feeling disappointed. With the level of buzz it's generating, I expected a more memorable dining experience, one that justified both the hype and the price point.

Every visit here is an unforgettable experience. From the food and service to the overall…read moreatmosphere, everything reflects an exceptional level of quality. The service team is incredibly professional, attentive, and detail-oriented. With plenty of staff available, they are always paying attention to guests and making sure everyone feels well taken care of. Every dish is full of surprises, with amazing flavors and beautiful presentation. The restaurant itself is elegant, clean, and comfortable, and combined with the outstanding service, it creates a dining experience that is truly worth recommending. This is definitely a place I would love to come back to again.

One of very few elite dining spots in the heart of LA. Only 14 seatings per night so you can…read moreimagine how difficult securing a reservation could be. Still cannot believe we were able to join the small community of people that had the honor to experience the artistry of chef Aitor Zabala and his remarkable team. Somni presents a 24-course, carefully curated tasting menu. Only one seating per night and dinner usually runs about four hours long. Doors open right at 7:30 pm and you are seated in the garden where you will receive a welcome drink (Tokyo fizz which is a Japanese sake/yuzu cocktail) and about 6 small bites that range from sweet to savory. This allows us to sit and relax for about 20 minutes before being escorted into the main dining hall. Dinner is served from a counter top so you have the opportunity to watch each dish come to creation. I personally love this interaction. You are served about 12 main courses expertly composed with Iberico pork, Dungeness crab, mussels, Chutoro and Bone marrow, beef tartare, and fresh garden herbs & botanical elements. My top FAVORITES were the Shiso puff tartare (Best dish hands down), Gazpacho blanco, and the Iberico pork. Very filling. Finally, dinner concludes with tea/coffee and 6 small bites of fruity gel, choc donut, and sorbet. Each course captivates your senses with its vibrant presentation, alluring aromatics, complex textures, and remarkable depth of flavors. Every bite was unique and lingered beautifully on the palate. Would love to come back again. Curious to try their fall and winter menu. Without a doubt, Somni is deserving of each of their stars

Let me start by saying the food was not bad, however it was the worst part of the experience…read more Really incredible vibe, live music, and the lighting is exactly what you'd want for consuming raw fish. The highlight of the meal was the crispy tuna, but I would stay far away from the dumplings. Lastly, huge fan of the bathrooms and soap scent.

Fantastic vibe! Great time, lovely service. We sat at the outside couch. The band was so good! All…read morearound a wonderful evening.